CaptTB
11-05-2009, 01:30 PM
A month or so back I had my yearly group of students from Rutgers University at the basin. Each year Bonnie from Rutgers brings her students down to the Co-Op, my dock and a couple other places to hear people like myself talk about various topics involving fisheries, fishermen and fisheries management.
One of the topics I brought up was a set of statistics from the National Marine Fisheries Service 'Fish Stock Sustainability Index' or FSSI. (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/statusoffisheries/SOSmain.htm)
I pointed out that while the index, which looks at the status of the major fished stocks in the US (ones that we actually fish for commercial and/or recreationally, not every fish stock in the ocean) stated that nearly 75% of the major stocks were NOT overfished, experiencing overfishing or approaching and overfished status, that you will NEVER see that online or in the media!
Instead of a headline reading "Over 70% of all major fish stocks are Healthy...." what you WILL see is "NEARLY 30% of ALL MAJOR FISH STOCKS ARE IN TROUBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Well, a few days ago a friend of mine pointed me to a web site to check out.
Lo and behold, I read THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE. (http://www.shore11.org/node/2605)
I have since posted my response (which you can read at that site as well) and made sure to contact Bonnie from Rutgers. After she laughed at the fact that I said it, and a month later there it was, she proceeded to e-mail her class which is to meet tomorrow. Some of the kids laughed and nodded in agreement with me when I commented on the fact that you will see negative press but not positive press, hopefully they will take my words a bit more to heart once they see it for themselves.
Thought you all would be interested.
One of the topics I brought up was a set of statistics from the National Marine Fisheries Service 'Fish Stock Sustainability Index' or FSSI. (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/statusoffisheries/SOSmain.htm)
I pointed out that while the index, which looks at the status of the major fished stocks in the US (ones that we actually fish for commercial and/or recreationally, not every fish stock in the ocean) stated that nearly 75% of the major stocks were NOT overfished, experiencing overfishing or approaching and overfished status, that you will NEVER see that online or in the media!
Instead of a headline reading "Over 70% of all major fish stocks are Healthy...." what you WILL see is "NEARLY 30% of ALL MAJOR FISH STOCKS ARE IN TROUBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Well, a few days ago a friend of mine pointed me to a web site to check out.
Lo and behold, I read THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE. (http://www.shore11.org/node/2605)
I have since posted my response (which you can read at that site as well) and made sure to contact Bonnie from Rutgers. After she laughed at the fact that I said it, and a month later there it was, she proceeded to e-mail her class which is to meet tomorrow. Some of the kids laughed and nodded in agreement with me when I commented on the fact that you will see negative press but not positive press, hopefully they will take my words a bit more to heart once they see it for themselves.
Thought you all would be interested.